Patent Application
20200070534
The present application is based on, and claims priority from JP Application Serial Number 2018-162414, filed Aug. 31, 2018, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
The present disclosure relates to a liquid container, a liquid consumption device, and a method of controlling the liquid consumption device.
An existing technique detects liquid using an optical unit, the liquid remaining in a liquid container which stores liquid (JP-A-2003-260804). In the technique of JP-A-2003-260804, an ink tank has a prism on one surface inside the main body of the ink tank. Light emitted from an external red LED light source to the prism travels through the prism in a straight line, and reaches the interface with the ink. When the prism is immersed in ink, light travels through the ink because the difference between the refractive indexes of the prism and the ink is small. On the other hand, when the prism is exposed to air inside the main body of the ink tank, light is totally reflected by the interface between the prism and air because the difference between the refractive indexes of air and the prism is large. The reflection light is incident to a CCD monochrome area sensor as a light receiving unit. Consequently, it is detected that there is no ink in the ink tank.
As described above, in a printer that detects the remaining amount of ink by an optical unit, when light from a site other than the prism reaches a light receiving unit, accurate determination may not be made. If it is determined that ink remains in the ink tank, and the head is driven in the state although no ink remains in the ink tank, a failure of the head may be caused.
An ink tank also exists, which is not provided with a prism for reflecting incident light from the outside to a light receiving unit. In such an ink tank, it is not possible to determine nor manage the remaining amount of ink by the optical unit as described in JP-A-2003-260804.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a liquid container is provided. The liquid container is used in a liquid consumption device including a mounting unit replaceably mountable with: a liquid container provided with a prism at a predetermined site and a liquid container not provided with a prism at the predetermined site; a light emitting unit that emits light to the predetermined site of the liquid container; and a light receiving unit that receives light reflected from the predetermined site. The liquid container is a liquid container in which the prism is not provided.
The printing device 200 includes a carriage 20, a cable 30, a paper feed motor 40, a paper feed roller 45, a carriage motor 50, a carriage drive belt 55, a detection unit 80, and a control unit 100. It is to be noted that in
The carriage 20 is driven by the carriage motor 50 via the carriage drive belt 55, and reciprocates in the Y-axis direction. The carriage 20 is coupled to the control unit 100 via the cable 30. The carriage 20 includes a holder 21, and a print head which is not illustrated in
The holder 21 removably houses ink cartridges IC1 to IC4. The holder 21 includes four liquid supply needles, multiple device-side terminals, four first openings AP1, four second openings AP2, and four light shielding unit SB which are not illustrated in
The four liquid supply needles are respectively inserted in the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4, and ink is distributed from the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4 to the print head. Ink of one color is stored in each of the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4.
The movement direction when the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4 are mounted to or detached from the holder 21 is Z-axis direction. The movement direction when the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4 are mounted to the holder 21 is the Z-axis negative direction of the Z-axis direction. The movement direction when the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4 are detached from the holder 21 is the Z-axis positive direction of the Z-axis direction.
In a state where the ink cartridges IC are mounted to the printing device 200, the multiple device-side terminals provided in the holder 21 are in contact with multiple substrate terminals respectively included in the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4. Consequently, circuit substrates of the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4 are electrically coupled to the control unit 100 of the printing device 200.
The print head is provided in the surface of the carriage 20, on the Z-axis negative direction side. The ink supplied from the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4 is discharged from the print head to a recording medium. The discharge of ink from the print head is controlled by the control unit 100.
The paper feed motor 40 rotates the paper feed roller 45 which is not illustrated in
In the present description, the direction in which the carriage 20 is moved, that is, the Y-axis direction is also referred to as the “main scanning direction”. The direction in which a recording medium is transported, that is, the X-axis direction is also referred to as the “sub-scanning direction”.
The detection unit 80 outputs a signal for detecting that the ink in the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4 has decreased to a predetermined amount. The detection unit 80 includes a light emitting unit 82 and a light receiving unit 84.
The light emitting unit 82 emits light to the prisms provided in the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4. More specifically, the light emitting unit 82 is configured to emit light to the portions where the prisms are disposed in the ink cartridges IC when the carriage 20 is moved. The prisms of the ink cartridges IC will be described later. The light emitting unit 82 is a light emission diode (LED).
The light receiving unit 84 receives the reflection light from the prisms, and converts the reflection light into an electrical signal. More specifically, the light receiving unit 84 is configured to receive light from the portions where the prisms are disposed in the ink cartridges IC when the carriage 20 is moved. The light receiving unit 84 is comprised of a photo transistor.
The detection unit 80 outputs a signal according to light received by the light receiving unit. The greater the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 84, the more intense signal is outputted by the detection unit 80. Specifically, in a state where the light receiving unit 84 receives no reflection light from any prism, the detection unit 80 outputs a signal with the largest voltage value. The greater the intensity of reflection light received by the light receiving unit 84, the lower voltage signal is outputted by the detection unit 80. It is to be noted that when the reflection light received by the light receiving unit 84 is more intense than a predetermined value, the detection unit 80 outputs a signal with the lowest voltage value.
The ink cartridges IC include a first type ink cartridge ICp, and a second type ink cartridge ICa. The first type ink cartridge ICp is an ink cartridge provided with a prism. The second type ink cartridge ICa is an ink cartridge not provided with a prism, but provided with a reflection reduction unit that reduces reflection of the light received. It is to be noted that the second type ink cartridge ICa has a less amount of ink to be stored than the first type ink cartridge ICp.
The first type ink cartridge ICp and the second type ink cartridge ICa are prepared for each ink color. The first type ink cartridge ICp and the second type ink cartridge ICa are replaceably mounted to the holder 21 for each ink color. Hereinafter, first, the first type ink cartridge ICp will be described, and subsequently, the second type ink cartridge ICa will be described.
As illustrated in
In a state where the ink cartridges IC are mounted to the printing device 200 disposed on a horizontal plane, the bottom face 314 (see
The top face 313 (see
In the present description, the “wall section” and the “wall” do not need to be formed by a single wall, and may be formed by multiple members. For instance, the bottom face wall section 314 is a wall positioned on the Z-axis negative direction side of the internal space of the ink cartridge ICp in the mounted state. The bottom face 314 (see
The bottom face 314 and the top face 313 are opposed to each other. The front face 315 and the rear face 316 are opposed to each other. The right face 317 and the left face 318 are opposed to each other. The bottom face 314 and the top face 313 are opposed to each other in the Z-axis direction, and are provided on the Z-axis negative direction side and the Z-axis positive direction side, respectively. The front face 315 and the rear face 316 are opposed to each other in the X-axis direction, and are provided on the X-axis positive direction side and the Z-axis negative direction side, respectively. The right face 317 and the left face 318 are opposed to each other in the Y-axis direction, and are provided on the Y-axis positive direction side and the Y-axis negative direction side, respectively.
In the present description, the bottom face 314 is also referred to as a “first face 314”. The rear face 316 is also referred to as a “second face 316”. The front face 315 is also referred to as a “third face 315”. The top face 313 is also referred to as a “fourth face 313”. The right face 317 is also referred to as a “fifth face 317”. The left face 318 is also referred to as a “sixth face 318”.
In the present description, the length of each ink cartridge IC in the X-axis direction is referred to as the “length” of the ink cartridge IC. The length of each ink cartridge IC in the Y-axis direction is referred to as the “width” of the ink cartridge IC. The length of each ink cartridge IC in the Z-axis direction is referred to as the “height” of the ink cartridge IC. Between the length, the width, and the height of the ink cartridge ICp, the length is the largest, and the width is the smallest. It is to be noted that the dimensional relationship between the length, the width, and the height of the ink cartridge ICp may be changed in any way. For instance, the height may be the largest, and the width may be the smallest. Alternatively, the height, the length, and the width may be equal.
A liquid supply unit 340 is disposed on the bottom face 314 projecting therefrom (see
On the bottom face 314, the first member unit 360 is provided at a position closer to the rear face 316 than the front face 315 (see
The first member unit 360 is utilized for detection of the remaining amount of the liquid in the ink cartridge ICp using the detection unit 80 of the printing device 200. The first member unit 360 is transparent. The first member unit 360 is composed of polypropylene. The first member unit 360 is disposed so that a liquid storage chamber in the ink cartridge ICp may be visually recognized from the outside of the ink cartridge ICp. It is to be noted that the first member unit 360 may be semi-transparent.
The front face 315 intersects with the bottom face 314 (see
On the front face 315, a lever 320 is provided at a position closer to the top face 313 than the circuit substrate 330 (see
An air opening port 319 is formed in the left face 318 (see
The X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis correspond to the directions as follows, in which the faces 313 to 318 of the rectangular parallelepiped of the ink cartridge ICp are opposed to each other (see
The X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis correspond to the structure of the ink cartridge ICp as follows (see
The first member unit 360 includes a prism 361, a mounting section 366, and a base section 368. The prism 361 is a triangular prism having a triangular prism shape. The prism 361 is a right angle prism. In the mounted state, the prism 361 has a first surface 362a and a second surface 362b which are opposed and inclined with respect to a horizontal plane by the same size angle. In this embodiment, the angle of inclination of the first surface 362a and the second surface 362b to a horizontal plane is 45 degrees. The first surface 362a and the second surface 362b are inclined with respect to the Z-axis and to the Y-axis, and parallel to the X-axis (see
The prism 361 has a ridge line 361t where an apex angle is formed by intersecting with the first surface 362a and the second surface 362b. It is to be noted that the prism may have a configuration in which the first surface 362a and the second surface 362b are coupled via another surface. When the first surface 362a and the second surface 362b do not actually intersect, the ridge line 361t is a line formed by intersection of a virtual plane including the first surface 362a and a virtual plane including the second surface 362b.
The first member unit 360 is disposed on the bottom face 314 so that the first surface 362a and the second surface 362b are positioned in the liquid storage chamber (see
The mounting section 366 forms part of the bottom face 314 (see
On the bottom face 314 of the ink cartridge ICa, the second member unit 390 is provided at a position closer to the rear face 316 than the front face 315. On the bottom face 314, the second member unit 390 is provided closer to the rear face 316 than the position at which the liquid supply unit 340 is provided. The second member unit 390 is not utilized for detection of the remaining amount of the liquid in the ink cartridge ICa using the detection unit 80 (see
The second member unit 390 includes the reflection reduction unit 391 on the Z-axis negative direction side. In a state where the second member unit 390 is incorporated in the ink cartridge ICa, the reflection reduction unit 391 is positioned at a site PP where the prism 361 is disposed in the ink cartridge ICp (see
The first surfaces 391a are each a slanted surface inclined with respect to the X-axis and to the Z-axis, and the second surfaces 391b are each a vertical surface perpendicular to the X-axis, and parallel to the Z-axis. The first surfaces 391a and the second surfaces 391b are each parallel to the Y-axis. In the mounted state, the first surfaces 391a are each surface which faces the X-axis positive direction side and the Z-axis negative direction side, and is parallel to the Y-axis. The first surfaces 391a are each surface inclined with respect to the X-axis and to the Z-axis. The first surfaces 391a each intersect with the X-axis and the Z-axis at an angle which is not a right angle. In the mounted state, the second surfaces 391b are each surface which faces the X-axis negative direction side, and is parallel to the Y-axis and the Z-axis. The second surfaces 391b are each surface perpendicular to the X-axis. The second surfaces 391b are each surface parallel to YZ plane formed by the Y-axis and the Z-axis.
The light emitted from the light emitting unit 82 to the reflection reduction unit 391 is reflected by a first surface 391a which is a slanted surface, thereby being directed in a direction different from the Z-axis negative direction, that is, the direction in which the light receiving unit 84 is positioned. The light emitted from the light emitting unit 82 to the reflection reduction unit 391 is repeatedly reflected by the multiple first surfaces 391a and second surfaces 391b, thereby being diffused or absorbed. Thus, the light which travels in the Z-axis negative direction decreases. In this manner, the reflection reduction unit 391 may reduce the light which travels to the light receiving unit 84.
In the example of
When the liquid storage chamber of an ink cartridge ICp is filled with ink IK, light EML, which is emitted from the light emitting unit 82 toward the Z-axis positive direction and incident to the prism 361 through the second opening AP2, enters into the ink IK through the second surface 362b. In
In this embodiment, each prism 361 is composed of polypropylene. When it is assumed that the refractive index of ink is 1.5 which is substantially equal to the refractive index of water, the critical angle for total reflection on the first surface 362a and the second surface 362b is approximately 64 degrees. In contrast, the incident angle of light to the second surface 362b and the first surface 362a is 45 degrees. Thus, the incident light EML is not totally reflected by the second surface 362b and the first surface 362a, and enters into the ink IK. Consequently, the mount of light RTL reflected by the second surface 362b and the first surface 362a is significantly small. Thus, the light receiving unit 84 hardly receives the reflection light RTL. Consequently, the detection unit 80 outputs an significantly weak signal. Specifically, the detection unit 80 outputs a signal with a voltage value close to a maximum value. It is noted that the amount of light RTL reflected by the second surface 362b and the first surface 362a slightly varies with the type of the ink in each ink cartridge ICp.
When the refractive index of air is assumed to be 1, the critical angle for total reflection on the first surface 362a and the second surface 362b is approximately 43 degrees. In contrast, the incident angle of light to the second surface 362b and the first surface 362a is 45 degrees. Thus, the incident light EML is totally reflected by the first surface 362a and the second surface 362b. The reflection light RTL is emitted to the outside of the prism 361 through the incident surface 363. The light receiving unit 84 receives the reflection light RTL which passed through the second opening AP2. Consequently, the detection unit 80 outputs a signal which is more intense than in
Part of light, which is emitted from the light emitting unit 82 and reaches the incident surface 363 of the prism through the second opening AP2, is reflected by the incident surface 363, and received by the light receiving unit 84 as reflection light FRTL2. More specifically, light having an optical path, in which an incidence angle θ1 from the light emitting unit 82 to the incident surface 363 and an incidence angle θ2 from the incident surface 363 to the light receiving unit 84 are equal, is received by the light receiving unit 84. Similarly, part of light, which is emitted from the light emitting unit 82 and reaches the incident surface 363 of the prism through the first opening AP1, is also reflected by the incident surface 363, and received by the light receiving unit 84 as reflection light FRTL1. Consequently, in the processing of detecting the remaining amount of ink, the detection unit 80 also outputs a signal originating from the reflection light FRTL2 and a signal originating from the reflection light FRTL1.
When the liquid storage chamber of an ink cartridge ICp is filled with ink IK, signals originating from the significantly weak reflection light RTL illustrated in
The ink cartridge ICa is not provided with a prism 361 (see
As described above, as the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 84 becomes closer to zero, the output voltage of the detection unit 80 becomes closer to an upper limit Vmax. As the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 84 becomes greater, the output voltage of the detection unit 80 becomes closer to a lower limit Vmin. However, when the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 84 exceeds a predetermined value, the output voltage becomes the lower limit Vmin.
In
The amount of the reflection light RTL slightly varies with the type of the ink in each ink cartridge ICp. Thus, the output voltage SIK also varies with the type of the ink. Of the output voltage SIK, the output voltage for the ink cartridge ICp of black ink is denoted by Bk. Of the output voltage SIK, the output voltage for the ink cartridge ICp of cyan ink is denoted by Cy. Of the output voltage SIK, the output voltage of the ink cartridge ICp of black ink is higher in the weakest detected signal, that is, the minimum value of output voltage. Of the output voltage SIK, the output voltage of the ink cartridge ICp of cyan ink is lower in the weakest detected signal, that is, the minimum value of output voltage.
In
In
In
A threshold Vthi illustrated in
A threshold Vthp illustrated in
In this embodiment, a second type ink cartridge ICa not provided with the prism 361 includes the reflection reduction unit 391 at the site PP where the prism 361 is provided in a first type ink cartridge ICp. In contrast, the ink cartridge of a comparative example does not include the reflection reduction unit 391 at the site PP which is a planar section. As seen from the comparison between the profile of the output voltage SA of the second type ink cartridge ICa in
This indicates that as an ink cartridge not provided with the prism 361, an ink cartridge provided with a planar section by simply removing the prism 361 from the bottom face 314 of the first type ink cartridge ICp like the ink cartridge of a comparative example is not adopted, but an ink cartridge provided with the reflection reduction unit 391 instead of the prism 361 like the second type ink cartridge ICa of this embodiment is adopted, and thus it is not necessary to provide a structure for exclusive use for determining the type of an ink cartridge in the printing device 200.
In addition, when an ink cartridge of a comparative example instead of the first type ink cartridge ICp is mounted to the holder 21 (see
The control unit 100 receives image data from a personal computer 250 via the interface unit 220, controls the units of the printing device 200, and prints an image on a recording medium PA based on the image data. The control unit 100 includes a central processing unit (CPU), a random access memory (RAM), and a read only memory (ROM). The control unit 100 loads a control program stored in the ROM into the RAM, executes the control program in the CPU, thereby implementing various functions. In
The A/D conversion unit 70 converts an analog voltage to a digital signal. More specifically, an output signal Sr of the detection unit 80 is A/D-converted by the A/D conversion unit 70, and is inputted to the control unit 100 as a digital signal. The output voltage of the detection unit 80 are obtained as multiple output voltages, that is, as sampling voltages at predetermined position intervals by the control unit 100.
The container determining unit 120 determines the type of liquid container mounted to the holder 21. More specifically, the container determining unit 120 determines whether the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4 mounted to the holder 21 are a first type ink cartridge ICp provided with the prism 361 or a second type ink cartridge ICa provided with the reflection reduction unit 391. The determination is made based on the signal Sr outputted by the detection unit 80, more specifically, the sampling voltages obtained by the A/D conversion unit 70. The method of determining the type of ink cartridge IC is as described in A4 (see Vthp of
The residual determining unit 130 determines a residual state of the liquid in the ink cartridge IC. More specifically, the residual determining unit 130 determines whether or not the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4 falls below a predetermined value, based on the sampling voltages from the A/D conversion unit 70. The method of the determination is as described in A4 (see Vthi of
Even after the determination by the residual determining unit 130 that the remaining amount of ink falls below a predetermined value, printing using the ink cartridge IC mounted then to the holder 21 may be allowed. On the other hand, when it is determined by the residual determining unit 130 that the remaining amount of ink falls below a predetermined value, subsequently, printing may not be performed until the ink cartridge is replaced.
The light emission amount deciding unit 140 performs processing of deciding the light emission amount of the light emitting unit 82 based on the output voltage from the detection unit 80. The light emission amount deciding unit 140 writes the decided light emission amount into the semiconductor memory 352 of the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4. The control unit 100 controls the light emission amount of the light emitting unit 82 based on the decided light emission amount. The light emission amount deciding processing by the light emission amount deciding unit 140 is performed before processing of detecting the amount of ink is performed by the residual determining unit 130.
The remaining amount estimating unit 160 estimates the remaining amount of ink in each ink cartridge IC. Specifically, the remaining amount estimating unit 160 performs the processing in the following. The remaining amount estimating unit 160 counts the number of ink droplets ejected from the print head, and calculates the amount of ink consumed by multiplying the number of ink droplets counted, and the mass per ink droplet. The remaining amount estimating unit 160 determines an estimated value of the remaining amount of ink by subtracting the calculated amount of ink consumed from the initial fill amount of the ink in each ink cartridge IC. The remaining amount estimating unit 160 records the estimated value of the remaining amount of ink in the RAM of the control unit 100, and the semiconductor memory 352 included in a corresponding ink cartridge IC.
The remaining amount estimating unit 160 obtains the remaining amount of ink from the semiconductor memory 352 of each ink cartridge IC, for instance, at the time of starting the printing device 200, and stores the remaining amount of ink in the RAM of the control unit 100. The remaining amount estimating unit 160 calculates the amount of consumption of ink used for execution of printing and cleaning of the print head while the power supply of the printing device 200 is turned on, and subtracts the amount of consumption of ink from the remaining amount of ink to update the value in the RAM. When instructions to turn off the power supply of the printing device 200 are inputted or an ink cartridge is replaced, or each time a predetermined amount of ink is consumed, the remaining amount estimating unit 160 writes an estimated remaining amount updated in the semiconductor memory 352 of each ink cartridge. The remaining amount estimating unit 160 may estimate various amounts of ink, such as the amount of consumption of ink, instead of the remaining amount of ink.
The threshold deciding unit 150 decides thresholds Vthi, Vthp of the output voltage of the detection unit 80 (see
In step S1, the control unit 100 obtains the parameters used in the processing in or after step S2. Specifically, the control unit 100 obtains the light emission amount of the light emitting unit 82 determined in previous sensitivity correction processing (see S2) from the semiconductor memory 352 of the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4, and obtains estimated remaining amounts of ink of the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4 from the RAM of the control unit 100. At the time of power supply ON of the printing device 200, the estimated remaining amount of ink is read from the semiconductor memory 352 of the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4 to the RAM of the control unit 100 by the remaining amount estimating unit 160, and subsequently, is updated one by one by the above-described processing.
In step S2, the control unit 100 performs the sensitivity correction processing. In the sensitivity correction processing, processing of deciding a new light emission amount of the light emitting unit 82 is performed by the light emission amount deciding unit 140, and processing of deciding a threshold for the ink remaining amount detection processing is performed by the threshold deciding unit 150. The new light emission amount is a light emission amount used by the processing in steps S4 and S5.
In step S3, the control unit 100 writes the new light emission amount and threshold determined by the sensitivity correction processing of step S2 in the semiconductor memory 352 of the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4.
In step S4, the control unit 100 determines the type of one of the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4. Specifically, the control unit 100 causes the carriage 20 to reciprocate in the main scanning direction, the light emitting unit 82 of the detection unit 80 to emit light to the ink cartridges IC, and the light receiving unit 84 to receive reflection light (see
In step S5, the residual determining unit 130 determines whether or not the remaining amount of the ink in the ink cartridge ICp of the type determined in step S4 falls below a predetermined value utilizing the prism 361. The principle of ink remaining amount detection processing using the prism 361 is as described in A4 (see Vthi of FIG. 13).
In step S6, the residual determining unit 130 determines whether or not the remaining amount of the ink in the ink cartridge ICa of the type determined in step S4 falls below a predetermined value, based on the estimated value of the remaining amount of ink determined by the remaining amount estimating unit 160. The estimated value of the remaining amount of ink determined by the remaining amount estimating unit 160 is recorded in the RAM of the control unit 100 and the semiconductor memory 352 of the ink cartridge ICa. It is to be noted that the second type ink cartridge ICa has a less amount of ink to be stored than the first type ink cartridge ICp. Thus, even when determination is made using the estimated value of the remaining amount of ink determined by the remaining amount estimating unit 160 without measuring the actual state of the ink in the ink cartridge ICa, sufficient determination accuracy is assured. In other words, in the processing of S6, information based on the reflection light from the prism 361, more specifically, the output signal of the detection unit 80 is not utilized.
By performing such processing, it is possible to determine a residual state of the ink of the first type ink cartridge ICp provided with the prism 361 by utilizing the prism 361. For the second type ink cartridge ICa provided with the reflection reduction unit 391 instead of the prism 361, it is possible to determine and manage a residual state of the ink appropriately by utilizing information recorded in the ink cartridge ICa or the printing device 200.
In step S7, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the ink remaining amount detection processing in step S5 or step S6 has been performed for all the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4. When there is an ink cartridge IC for which the ink remaining amount detection processing has not been performed, the control unit 100 performs the processing in and after step S4 for the next ink cartridge IC as the processing target. When the ink remaining amount detection processing has been performed for all the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4, the processing proceeds to step S8.
In step S8, for the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4, the control unit 100 displays a result of determination as to whether or not the remaining amount of ink falls below a predetermined value on the display unit 210 and the display unit of the personal computer 250 (see
It is to be noted that steps S1 to S3 of the processing of
In step S220, the light emission amount deciding unit 140 refers to the semiconductor memory 352 of the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4, and identifies an ink cartridge IC having a remaining amount of ink not falling below a predetermined value (see S5, S6, and S8 of
The light emission amount deciding unit 140 determines the minimum value Vpmin (Vpk1 of
In step S230, the threshold deciding unit 150 as a functional unit of the control unit 100 decides the threshold Vthp based on the minimum value Vpmin of the locally minimum values of the output voltage, and the upper limit Vmax of the output voltage (see
The threshold deciding unit 150 decides the threshold Vthi based on the minimum value Vpmin (Vpk1 of
After the processing in step S230, the processing of
In contrast, in step S240, the light emission amount deciding unit 140 determines whether or not it is impossible to set the minimum value Vpmin of the locally minimum values of the output voltage within a predetermined range by adjustment of the light emission amount. Specifically, the light emission amount deciding unit 140 determines whether or not one of the following cases is satisfied. When one of the following cases is satisfied, it is impossible to set the minimum value Vpmin of the locally minimum values of the output voltage within a predetermined range by adjustment of the light emission amount.
(i) When the minimum value Vpmin of the locally minimum values of the output voltage exceeds a predetermined range, and the light emission amount then of the light emitting unit 82 is an upper limit of a predetermined adjustable range. It is to be noted that when the minimum value Vpmin of the locally minimum values of the output voltage exceeds a predetermined range indicates that the amount of light of the reflection light from the ink cartridge IC falls below a desirable range. (ii) When the minimum value Vpmin of the locally minimum values of the output voltage falls below a predetermined range, and the light emission amount then of the light emitting unit 82 is a lower limit of a predetermined adjustable range. It is to be noted that when the minimum value Vpmin of the locally minimum values of the output voltage falls below a predetermined range indicates that the amount of light of the reflection light from the ink cartridge ICp exceeds a desirable range.
When it is impossible to set the minimum value Vpmin of the locally minimum values of the output voltage within a predetermined range by adjustment of the light emission amount, the processing proceeds to step S260. When it is possible to set the minimum value Vpmin of the locally minimum values of the output voltage within a predetermined range by adjustment of the light emission amount, the processing proceeds to step S250.
As described above, when step S210 is first performed, the light emission amount of the light emitting unit 82 is a maximum value of a predetermined adjustable range of light emission amount. Thus, when step S240 is first performed, in many cases, the minimum value Vpmin of the locally minimum values of the output voltage falls below a predetermined range. In other words, the amount of light of the reflection light from the ink cartridge ICp exceeds a desirable range. Consequently, in step S240, it is determined that adjustment is possible and the processing proceeds to step S250.
In step S250, the light emission amount deciding unit 140 adjusts the light emission amount of the light emitting unit 82. More specifically, (i) when the minimum value Vpmin of the locally minimum values of the output voltage exceeds a predetermined range, in other words, when the amount of light of the reflection light falls below a desirable range, the light emission amount deciding unit 140 increases the light emission amount of the light emitting unit 82. (ii) When the minimum value Vpmin of the locally minimum values of the output voltage falls below a predetermined range, in other words, when the amount of light of the reflection light exceeds a desirable range, the light emission amount deciding unit 140 decreases the light emission amount of the light emitting unit 82. The processing returns to step S210.
As described above when step S240 is first performed, in many cases, the minimum value Vpmin of the locally minimum values of the output voltage falls below a predetermined range. In other words, the amount of light of the reflection light from the ink cartridge ICp exceeds a desirable range. Consequently, in step S250, the light emission amount deciding unit 140 decreases the light emission amount of the light emitting unit 82.
In step S210 which is performed for the second time and later, the light emitting unit 82 is emitted with the light emission amount set in step S250. When each unit of the printing device 200 functions normally, the processing in steps S210 to S250 is repeated, thus the light emission amount of the light emitting unit 82 is gradually decreased from the maximum value, and the minimum value Vpmin of the locally minimum values of the output voltage of the ink cartridge IC is set to a value within a predetermined range (see S220).
In step S260, the light emission amount deciding unit 140 records an error in the RAM of the control unit 100, and outputs an error on the display unit 210 of the printing device 200 and the display unit of the personal computer 250. Subsequently, the processing of
By performing the processing of
By performing the processing of
In the first embodiment, the second member unit 390 of the ink cartridge ICa has a black color. The first surfaces 391a of the reflection reduction unit 391 of the second member unit 390 are each surface which faces the X-axis positive direction side and the Z-axis negative direction side, and is parallel to the Y-axis (see
Even when the orientation of the first surfaces 39Aa is changed in this manner, similarly to the first embodiment, light reflected to the light receiving unit 84 may be reduced.
The light emitted from the light emitting unit 82 to the reflection reduction unit 39B is reflected by a first surface 39Ba and a second surface 39Bb which are slanted surfaces, thereby being directed in a direction different from the Z-axis negative direction, that is, the direction in which the light receiving unit 84 is positioned. The light emitted from the light emitting unit 82 to the reflection reduction unit 39B is repeatedly reflected by the multiple first surfaces 39Ba and second surfaces 39Bb, thereby being diffused or absorbed.
Even when the second surfaces 39Bb are changed from vertical surfaces to slanted surfaces in this manner, similarly to the first embodiment, light reflected to the light receiving unit 84 may be reduced.
The first surfaces 39Ca of the reflection reduction unit 39C correspond to the first surfaces 391a of the reflection reduction unit 391. The second surfaces 39Cb of the reflection reduction unit 39C correspond to the second surfaces 391b of the reflection reduction unit 391. Also in this embodiment, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 82 to the reflection reduction unit 39C is directed by a first surface 39Ca which is a slanted surface, in a direction different from the Z-axis negative direction, that is, the direction in which the light receiving unit 84 is positioned. The light emitted from the light emitting unit 82 to the reflection reduction unit 391 is repeatedly reflected by the multiple first surfaces 39Ca and second surfaces 39Cb, thereby being diffused or attenuated. However, the number of the first surfaces 39Ca and second surfaces 39Cb is less than the number in the reflection reduction unit 391 (see
In any case, even when the number of slanted surfaces and vertical surfaces included in the reflection reduction unit 39C is changed, the light which travels to the light receiving unit 84 may be reduced. Even in this embodiment, as in other embodiments described previously, it is possible to change the orientation of the first surfaces 39Ca, or to change the second surfaces 39Cb from vertical surfaces to slanted surfaces.
It is to be noted that the number of the slanted surfaces of the reflection reduction unit is not limited to two (see
The first surface 39Da of the reflection reduction unit 39D corresponds to the first surface 391a of the reflection reduction unit 391. The second surface 39Db of the reflection reduction unit 39D corresponds to the second surface 391b of the reflection reduction unit 391.
The light emitted from the light emitting unit 82 to the reflection reduction unit 39D is reflected by the first surface 39Da which is a slanted surface, thereby being directed in a direction different from the Z-axis negative direction, that is, the direction in which the light receiving unit 84 is positioned.
In this embodiment, the first surface 39Da of the reflection reduction unit 39D functions as a light guiding unit that guides the light emitted from the light emitting unit 82 to the reflection reduction unit 391 in the Z-axis negative direction, that is, the direction in which the light receiving unit 84 is positioned.
In this manner, the light which travels to the light receiving unit 84 may be also reduced by the reflection reduction unit 39D including the light guiding unit.
Even in this embodiment, as in other embodiments described previously, it is possible to change the orientation of the first surfaces 39Da, or to change the second surfaces 39Db from vertical surfaces to slanted surfaces.
The first surface 39Ea is a surface which faces the X-axis negative direction side and the Z-axis negative direction side, and is parallel to the Y-axis. The first surface 39Ea is a surface inclined with respect to the X-axis and to the Z-axis. The first surface 39Ea intersects with the X-axis and the Z-axis at an angle which is not a right angle. The second surface 39Eb is a surface which faces the X-axis positive direction side and the Z-axis negative direction side, and is parallel to the Y-axis. The second surface 39Eb is a surface inclined with respect to the X-axis and to the Z-axis. The second surface 39Eb intersects with the X-axis and the Z-axis at an angle which is not a right angle. The first surface 39Ea and the second surface 39Eb form symmetrical angles with respect to the YZ plane.
The light emitted from the light emitting unit 82 to the reflection reduction unit 39E is reflected by the first surface 39Ea and the second surface 39Eb which are slanted surfaces, thereby being directed in a direction different from the Z-axis negative direction, that is, the direction in which the light receiving unit 84 is positioned.
In this embodiment, the first surface 39Ea and the second surface 39Eb of the reflection reduction unit 39E each function as a light guiding unit that guides the light emitted from the light emitting unit 82 to the reflection reduction unit 391 in the Z-axis negative direction, that is, the direction in which the light receiving unit 84 is positioned. In this manner, the light which travels to the light receiving unit 84 may be also reduced by the reflection reduction unit 39E including two light guiding units.
Various shapes are known as shapes which diffuse the received light. Those various shapes may be adopted as light diffusion units that diffuse light emitted to the reflection reduction unit. The shape of the reflection reduction unit 39F as a light diffusion unit may be provided by casting, physical processing such as sandblasting, or chemical processing using acid or the like.
Various materials are known as materials which absorb received light. Those various materials may be adopted as light absorbing units. A light absorbing unit may be implemented by coating a material, or by attaching a sheet composed of a material which absorbs received light.
(1) In the first embodiment, the sensitivity correction processing has been described in which the light emission amount of the light emitting unit 82 is adjusted (see S250 of
It is to be noted that the light emission amount (see
(2) In the first embodiment, the threshold deciding unit 150 decides the threshold Vthi based on the minimum value Vpmin of the locally minimum values of the output voltage, and the lower limit Vmin of the output voltage (see
(3) In the first embodiment, the threshold deciding unit 150 decides the threshold Vthp based on the minimum value Vpmin of the locally minimum values of the output voltage, and the upper limit Vmax of the output voltage (see
(4) In the first embodiment, the type of ink cartridge IC is determined by comparing the output voltage with the threshold Vthp (see S4 of
(5) In the first embodiment, the ink remaining amount detection processing is performed by comparing the output voltage with the threshold Vthi (see S5 of
(6) In the first embodiment, the remaining amount estimating unit 160 records an estimated value of the remaining amount of ink in the RAM of the control unit 100, and the semiconductor memory 352 included in an ink cartridge IC. However, the estimated value of the remaining amount of ink may also be recorded in only one of the RAM of the control unit 100, and the semiconductor memory 352 included in an ink cartridge IC.
(7) In the first embodiment, an example has been described, in which the carriage 20 moves on which the holder 21, to which the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4 are detachably mounted, is mounted, and the detection unit 80 is fixed to the body of the printing device 200. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. The ink cartridges IC1 to IC4 and the detection unit 80 may be configured to be relatively movable. For instance, the carriage on which the detection unit 80 is mounted may move, and the holder 21, to which the ink cartridges IC1 to IC4 are detachably mounted, may be fixed to the body of the printing device 200.
In the first embodiment, the first surfaces 391a and the second surfaces 391b of the reflection reduction unit 391 are inclined with respect to the X-axis and to the Z-axis, and parallel to the Y-axis (see
(1) In the embodiment, the reflection reduction unit 39D (see
(2) In the embodiment, the reflection reduction unit 39D (see
In the embodiment, the reflection reduction unit 39F (see
In the embodiment, the ink cartridge IC includes the semiconductor memory 352 which stores information such as the remaining amount of ink and an ink color (see
In the embodiment, an example has been described, in which the present disclosure is applied to the printing device 200 and the ink cartridge. However, the present disclosure may be used a liquid consumption device that ejects or discharges liquid other than the ink, and is applicable to a liquid container that stores such liquid. In addition, the liquid container of the present disclosure is applicable to various liquid consumption devices including a liquid ejection printing head for discharging liquid droplets with very small volumes. The “liquid droplet” refers to the state of the liquid discharged from the liquid consumption devices, and includes droplets leaving a trail in granular form, tear form, and filiform. The “liquid” referred to herein may be a material which can be ejected by a liquid consumption device. For instance, the liquid may have a state in which the substance is in a liquid phase, and includes not only liquid in a liquid state with a high or low viscosity, a flow state, such as sol, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solution, liquid resin, liquid metal (metal melt), and a state of the substance, but also liquid in which particles of functional materials made of solids, such as pigments and metal particles are dissolved, dispersed or mixed in solvents. Typical examples of liquid include ink and liquid crystal as described in the embodiment. Here, the ink includes water-based ink and oil-based ink in general, and various liquid compositions such as gel ink, and hot melt ink. Specific examples of liquid consumption device may include, for instance, a liquid consumption device that ejects liquid including materials as a dispersed or a dissolved form, such as electrode materials and color materials, used for manufacturing liquid crystal displays, electroluminescent (EL) displays, surface emitting displays, and color filters, a liquid consumption device that ejects living organic materials used for biochip manufacturing, and a liquid consumption device, used as a precision pipette, that ejects liquid as a sample. Furthermore, it is possible to adopt a liquid consumption device that ejects lubricating oil with pinpoint to a precision instrument such as a watch and a camera, a liquid consumption device that ejects transparent resin liquid, such as ultraviolet curing resin, onto a substrate for forming a minute hemispherical lens (optical lens) used in an optical communication device, and a liquid consumption device that ejects etching solution, such as acid or alkali solvent, for etching a substrate.
The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and may be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. For instance, the present disclosure may be implemented in the following embodiments. In order to cope with part or all of the problems of the present disclosure or to achieve part or all of the effects of the present disclosure, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to technical features in the embodiments described hereafter may be substituted, or combined as needed. If technical features are not described as indispensable features in the present description, the technical features may be deleted as needed.
(1) According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a liquid container is provided. The liquid container is used in a liquid consumption device including a mounting unit replaceably mountable with: a liquid container provided with a prism at a predetermined site and a liquid container not provided with a prism at the predetermined site; a light emitting unit that emits light to the predetermined site of the liquid container; and a light receiving unit that receives light reflected from the predetermined site. The liquid container is a liquid container not provided with the prism, and a reflection reduction unit that reduces reflection of light to the light receiving unit is provided at the predetermined site.
Let a first type liquid container be a liquid container provided with a prism, and a second type liquid container be a liquid container provided with a reflection reduction unit. The liquid container in this configuration is a second type liquid container. The liquid container in this configuration has compatibility with the first type liquid container. The first type liquid container and the liquid container in this configuration may be mounted to a liquid container mounting unit of a liquid consumption device to which the liquid container in this configuration is applied. In the first type liquid container provided with the prism at a predetermined site, detection characteristics having distinctive peaks are obtained in the light reflected from the predetermined site to the light receiving unit. In contrast, in the liquid container in this configuration provided with the reflection reduction unit at a predetermined site, the amount of light travelling from the predetermined site to the light receiving unit is significantly small. Thus, the detection characteristics obtained from the liquid container in this configuration do not include the distinctive peaks obtained from the first type liquid container, or may include the distinctive peaks which are significantly small. In other words, according to this configuration, the detection characteristics obtained from the first type liquid container and the detection characteristics obtained from the second type liquid container may be made significantly different. Consequently, it is possible to distinguish between the first type liquid container and the second type liquid container. When a liquid container mounted to the mounting unit thereof in a liquid consumption device can be determined to be the first type liquid container or the second type liquid container, it is possible to determine and manage the remaining amount of liquid according to the type of the liquid container.
(2) In the liquid container of the embodiment, a configuration may be adopted in which assume X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are three axes orthogonal to each other, and the prism in the liquid container provided with the prism includes a reflection surface inclined with respect to the Z-axis and to the Y-axis, and parallel to the X-axis, the reflection reduction unit includes one or more slanted surfaces, and the one or more slanted surfaces may be inclined with respect to the Z-axis and to the X-axis, and parallel to the Y-axis. In such a configuration, the light emitted from the light emitting unit to the reflection reduction unit is reflected by the slanted surface of the reflection reduction unit, and the light can be directed in a direction different from the direction in which the light receiving unit is positioned.
(3) In the liquid container of the embodiment, a configuration may be adopted in which assume X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are three axes orthogonal to each other, and the prism in the liquid container provided with the prism includes a reflection surface inclined with respect to the Z-axis and to the Y-axis, and parallel to the X-axis, the reflection reduction unit includes a light guiding unit that guides light in a direction parallel to the X-axis. Also in such a configuration, the light emitted from the light emitting unit to the reflection reduction unit can be directed by the light guiding unit in a direction different from the direction in which the light receiving unit is positioned. Thus, the light which travels to the light receiving unit may be reduced.
(4) In the liquid container of the embodiment, a configuration may be adopted in which the reflection reduction unit includes a light diffusion unit that diffuses the light emitted to the reflection reduction unit or a light absorbing unit that absorbs the light emitted to the reflection reduction unit. In such a configuration, the light which travels to the light receiving unit may be reduced.
(5) According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a liquid consumption device is provided. The liquid consumption device includes: a mounting unit to which a liquid container is replaceably mounted; a light emitting unit that emits light to a predetermined site of the liquid container mounted to the mounting unit; a light receiving unit that receives light reflected from the predetermined site and that outputs a signal according to the received light; a container determining unit that, based on the signal outputted by the light receiving unit, determines whether the liquid container mounted to the mounting unit is: a first type liquid container including a prism at the predetermined site or a second type liquid container including, at the predetermined site, a reflection reduction unit the reduces reflection of the received light; and a residual determining unit that determines a residual state of the liquid in the liquid container mounted in the mounting unit: utilizing the prism when the container determining unit determines that the liquid container mounted to the mounting unit is the first type liquid container and utilizing information recorded in the second type liquid container, the liquid consumption device, or both when the container determining unit determines that the liquid container mounted to the mounting unit is the second type liquid container.
In the liquid consumption device in this configuration, the first type liquid container may be mounted to the mounting unit or the second type liquid container may be mounted to the mounting unit. In the first type liquid container provided with the prism at a predetermined site, detection characteristics having distinctive peaks are obtained in the light reflected from the predetermined site to the light receiving unit. In contrast, in the second type liquid container provided with the reflection reduction unit at a predetermined site, the amount of light travelling from the predetermined site to the light receiving unit is significantly small. Thus, the detection characteristics obtained from the second type liquid container do not include the distinctive peaks obtained from the first type liquid container, or may include the distinctive peaks which are significantly small. In other words, the detection characteristics obtained from the first type liquid container and the detection characteristics obtained from the second type liquid container are significantly different. Therefore, it is possible to determine that a liquid container is the first type liquid container or the second type liquid container. For the first type liquid container provided with the prism, it is possible to determine a residual state of the liquid utilizing the prism. For the second type liquid container provided with the reflection reduction unit instead of the prism, it is possible to appropriately determine a residual state of the liquid by utilizing information recorded in the second type liquid container, the liquid consumption device, or both. Thus, with the liquid consumption device in this configuration, it is possible to determine the type of liquid container, and determine and manage a residual state of the liquid according to the type of the liquid container.
(6) According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of controlling the liquid consumption device is provided. The liquid consumption device includes: a mounting unit to which a liquid container is mounted; a light emitting unit that emits light to a predetermined site of the liquid container mounted in the mounting unit; and a light receiving unit that receives light reflected from the predetermined site. It is determined based on the signal outputted according to light received by the light receiving unit, whether the liquid container mounted to the mounting unit is: a first type liquid container including a prism at the predetermined site or a second type liquid container including, at the predetermined site, a reflection reduction unit that reduces reflection of the received light; when the liquid container mounted to the mounting unit is determined to be the first type liquid container, a residual state of the liquid is determined utilizing the prism; and when the liquid container mounted to the mounting unit is determined to be the second type liquid container, a residual state of the liquid is determined utilizing information recorded in the second type liquid container, the liquid consumption device, or both.
In the liquid consumption device to which a control method in this configuration is applied, the first type liquid container may be mounted to the mounting unit or the second type liquid container may be mounted to the mounting unit. In the first type liquid container provided with the prism at a predetermined site, detection characteristics having distinctive peaks are obtained in the light reflected from the predetermined site to the light receiving unit. In contrast, in the second type liquid container provided with the reflection reduction unit at a predetermined site, the amount of light travelling from the predetermined site to the light receiving unit is significantly small. Thus, the detection characteristics obtained from the second type liquid container do not include the distinctive peaks obtained from the first type liquid container, or may include the distinctive peaks which are significantly small. In other words, the detection characteristics obtained from the first type liquid container and the detection characteristics obtained from the second type liquid container are significantly different. Therefore, it is possible to determine that a liquid container is the first type liquid container or the second type liquid container. For the first type liquid container provided with the prism, it is possible to determine a residual state of the liquid utilizing the prism. For the second type liquid container provided with the reflection reduction unit instead of the prism, it is possible to appropriately determine a residual state of the liquid by utilizing information recorded in the second type liquid container, the liquid consumption device, or both. Thus, with the control method in this configuration, it is possible to determine the type of liquid container, and determine and manage a residual state of the liquid according to the type of the liquid container.
The present disclosure may be implemented in various forms other than a liquid container, a liquid consumption device, and a method of controlling the liquid consumption device. For instance, the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms, such as a method of manufacturing a liquid container and a liquid consumption device, a method of controlling a liquid container and a liquid consumption device, a computer program that implements the control method, and a non-transitory recording medium on which the computer program is recorded.
Not all of multiple components of the embodiments of the present disclosure described above are required, and in order to cope with part or all of the above-mentioned problems or to achieve part or all of the effects described in the present description, part of the multiple components may be changed, deleted, replaced with other new components, or imposed conditions may be partially deleted as needed. In order to cope with part or all of the above-mentioned problems or to achieve part or all of the effects described in the present description, an independent embodiment of the present disclosure may be implemented by combining part or all of the technical features included in an embodiment of the present disclosure described above with part or all of the technical features included in another embodiment of the present disclosure described above.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-162414 | Aug 2018 | JP | national |
